CLARINGTON — This weekend, Clarington firefighters battled a vehicle blaze dangerously close to two propane tanks and a gas tank in the home’s garage. Now, Clarington Fire Chief Gord Weir is warning residents about the dangers of improperly stored flammable materials.
“The truck was so close to the garage and right by the (garage) door are the propane tanks,” said Chief Weir.
Residents should not store propane tanks and gas cans in the garage, explained Chief Weir. Store all flammable containers, including gas cans, outside in a well-ventilated area away from the home.
“If you store a propane tank in your garage and there’s even a small leak, it would take the slightest spark to ignite it and start a massive fire,” Chief Weir added in a press release. “Keep your families safe and reduce the chance of sparking a fire.”
Clarington fire crews extinguished two back-to-back fires, occurring within fifteen minutes of each other, on Sunday, Jan. 6.
The first call came in at 9 a.m. for a garage fire on Bridges Drive, in Newcastle. The blaze damaged the garage, two cars in the driveway and the second-storey bedroom above the garage. Damage is estimated at approximately $350,000.
“The fire went from garage to the bedroom above,” said Chief Weir. “There’s not a lot of smoke damage but lots of water damage.”
Seven trucks with 22 firefighters responded to extinguish the fire. The fire is not considered suspicious, but the cause is unclear and being investigated.
At 9:15 a.m. the second call came in for a vehicle on fire at Courvier Crescent in Bowmanville. The truck was parked close to the home and the fire damaged the garage door and framing. The vehicle fire occurred while work was being done inside the dashboard. It is not considered suspicious.
No one was injured in either fire on Sunday.
“In both of the weekend fires, the residents were lucky. The situation could have been much worse,” Chief Weir added.
Link to original article on durhamregion.com: Clarington crews douse fire before it reached propane tanks and gas can